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4/12/12

Ride In 4/12: I just turned the heat on in my office but I'm still quite cold

You haven't seen a withering look until you've seen the look given by a German mother to a bicyclist that dares try to pass her on the right while she's stopped at a red light with her kid in the trailer behind her. Damn. This was on East Capitol, maybe around 6th or 7th. I had pulled up behind her, but behind me came Blue Electra Amsterdam lady (a regular along this stretch), and she moved right to pass us both slightly before the light turned green. And then the German mother (I presume nationality and relationship because it's easier to write "German mother" rather than "woman who was speaking in what I believe to be German to a child that might or might not have been related to her") gave the withering look, so as to suggest "Excuse me, but what the hell are you doing?" since there really wasn't that much room to get by on the right since there were parked cars on the other side of the intersection. In conclusion, you might not want to pass German mothers (or anyone else) on the right while they're stopped.
Another cold one and a windy one too. I wore white thick wool socks.
Stopping your bike astride the Pennsylvania Avenue cycletrack isn't really a great idea, as it will impact the movement of those trying to use it. My suggestion for cyclists looking to cross Pennsylvania is to wait in the 'pedestrian' refuges behind the stop lights. Seems like common sense.
Another day up 11th. I think I've finally managed to quit 15th street and its cycletrack and this makes me sad mostly. I really want to support bike infrastructure and I really like the concept of a two-way cycletrack. But when every day becomes a competition for limited space and my nearly being run into the bollards by people heading in the other direction, supporting the infrastructure loses its appeal. I know that this is how some people feel about all bike facilities and that's why they elect to only use bike lanes incidentally, if ever. I like bike lanes and I'll still choose my routes around them (for example, I'm taking 11th when I could take 13th or 12th or any number of other streets), but I just don't like using one that's overcrowded and too narrow. It's not a political statement.
BREAKING: In addition to selling buttons, I've also been offering the unique opportunity to engage in a "fun-filled" evening of karaoke with yours truly. For some strange reason, I've only managed one taker. Come on people! This money is going to WABA! To sweeten the pot, so to speak, not only will $100 buy you an evening of karaoke fun with DC's 37th most popular bike blogger, it will also get you a FREE VIP ticket to WABA's BikeFest ($45 value)! BikeFest, which I believe is an acronym, is going to be, for lack of better word, amazing. It will also have a "jazz" theme. I'll be attending and wearing a Karl Malone jersey (probably). So, there's some more incentive to make me sing. Or, maybe you'd just like to buy a BikeFest ticket and skip the whole karaoke thing, which is also ok. Thanks in advance for your support!
Some people are really impatient. I guess the thing about being impatient is figuring out when your impatience will actually pay off and when it's just going to result in your having to be impatient somewhere else. I think that's the thing I've learned the most from bike commuting.
I rode behind a woman on Massachusetts who was playing some Franz Ferninand from some speakers as she biked along. Music is a good thing, but I prefer to have my bike time as my quiet time, free from external inputs except for what's going on around me. I like to my sensorium to luxuriate in nature, or whatever approximates nature during a bike commute through a city. "Let your sensorium luxuriate in nature" was also probably the slogan for a fin de siecle Adirondack hotel.
Do you carry a pen in your bike bag? I do. Seems prudent. I also carry two doggy pick-up bags, but that's mostly because I walk Ellie the Poodle before I leave home and I shove the bags in my pocket and forget about them.
I watched a guy bike around Ward Circle in the wrong direction. It was terrifying. He biked opposite traffic on the white line that separated the two lanes. I have no idea why he did this, especially since he could have a) biked in the clockwise, correct direction or b) biked on the sidewalk parallel the roadway. I just don't get some people. Not a care in the world.

1 comment:

I had a cyclist (no helmet) pass me on the right at a red light last night, he ran the light, and looked at me like I wasn't hip enough to not wear a helmet and break the law... Is there a word for people like that? (he wasn't riding a fixie, or a "dutch style" bike... just a normal road bike) -@SamuelMoore